1953–54 Western Kentucky State Hilltoppers basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball none 1953–54 Western Kentucky State Hilltoppers WKU Hilltoppers wordmark.png 150 Ohio Valley Conference 6 8 OVC 29–3 9–1 Edgar Diddle 32nd Ted Hornback Health & Physical Education Building OVC Tournament ChampionOhio Valley Conference ChampionKentucky Invitation Champion NIT Tournament SemifinalsNational 4th Place The 1953–54 Western Kentucky State Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky State College (now known as Western Kentucky University) during the 1953-54 NCAA University Division Basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Edgar Diddle and consensus All-American, Tom Marshall. Ruby Earl Red Towel Territory : A History of Athletics at Western Kentucky University American National Bank and Trust Co. 1979 The Hilltoppers won the Ohio Valley Conference championship, and were invited to the 1954 National Invitation Tournament, where they were seeded as the number 2 teamST. FRANCIS BEATS LOUISVILLE, 60-55 http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1954/03/07/92551055.html?pageNumber=206 New York Times 13 January 2020 and advanced to the semifinals.2019-2020 WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020 For the NIT consolation game against fourth seeded Niagara, Coach Diddle looked to build experience for the next year's team, only allowing his freshman and sophomores to play. During this period, the NIT was considered on par with the NCAA tournament.http://www.tourneytravel.com/history/index.htm NCAA Tournament History 2013-02-12 The tournament now determines the national champion, but that wasn't always the case. Until the 1950s, the NIT was just as big a tournament as the NCAA, and teams often chose to enter the NIT and bypass the NCAA tourney 2013-05-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20130514220356/http://www.tourneytravel.com/history/index.htm usurped Davies, Richard O. (2007). "Sports in American Life: A History." Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated. p. 155. 9781405106474. This was one of the finest teams in Western Kentucky history, they led the NCAA in winsE. A. Diddle CBB Records, Sports Reference, retrieved May 13, 2020 and Marshall averaged more than 25 points and nearly 15 rebounds per game, setting school records for scoring and rebounding. Harrison Lowell Western Kentucky University University Press of Kentucky 1987 978-0813116204 Art Spoelstra, Jack Turner and Lynn Cole joined Marshall on the All-Conference and OVC Tournament teams.2019-2020 OVC Basketball Media Guide, retrieved 4 May 2020 Schedule 1953-54 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Schedule and Results, Sports Reference, retrieved 12 May 2020 1953-54 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings 1954 |- !colspan=6| Regular Season 11/25/1953 yes yes Belmont Nashville, TN 108–75 1–0 |- 11/28/1953 yes yes Kentucky Wesleyan Owensboro Sportscenter Owensboro, KY 86–74 2–0 12/4/1953 yes Gustavus Adolphus Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 90–73 3–0 12/5/1953 yes Southeastern Louisiana Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 84–60 4–0 12/8/1953 yes 11 Middle Tennessee Alumni Memorial Gym Murfreesboro, TN 88–80 5–0 (1-0) 12/12/1953 11 Morehead State Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 98–77 6–0 (2-0) 12/15/1953 yes yes 10 Cincinnati Cincinnati Gardens Cincinnati, OH 74–71 7–0 12/17/1953 yes yes 10 Saint Francis (NY) Madison Square Garden New York, NY 97–67 8–0 12/19/1953 yes yes 10 St. Bonaventure Butler Memorial Gym Buffalo, NY 82–76 9–0 12/28/1953 yes yes 6 Houston Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY Kentucky Invitation Tournament 91–61 10–0 12/29/1953 yes 7 Eastern Kentucky Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY Kentucky Invitation Tournament 81–78 11–0 12/30/1953 yes yes 7 Louisville Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY Kentucky Invitation Tournament 89–71 12–0 1/5/1954 5 Middle Tennessee Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 98–67 13–0 (3-0) 1/9/1954 yes 5 Murray State Carr Health Building Murray, KY 57–43 14–0 (4-0) 1/13/1954 yes yes 5 Dayton 17 The Frericks Center Dayton, OH 79–75 3OT 15–0 1/16/1954 5 Eastern Kentucky Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 122–78 16–0 (5-0) 1/20/1954 yes 4 Tennessee Tech Memorial Gymnasium Cookeville, TN 62–51 17–0 (6-0) 1/23/1954 yes yes 4 Memphis State Memorial Fieldhouse Memphis, TN 63–53 18–0 1/29/1954 yes 4 Regis Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 87–72 19–0 2/1/1954 yes yes 4 Bowling Green State Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY 94–82 20–0 2/4/1954 yes yes 4 Stetson Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 81–63 21–0 2/6/1954 yes 4 Eastern Kentucky Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY 54–63 21–1 (6-1) 2/8/1954 yes 4 Morehead State Button Auditorium Morehead, KY 88–75 22–1 (7-1) 2/13/1954 5 Murray State Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 104–68 23–1 (8-1) 2/15/1954 yes 5 Kentucky Wesleyan Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 81–65 24–1 2/20/1954 4 Tennessee Tech Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 108–63 25–1 (9-1) 2/22/1954 yes 4 Cincinnati Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY 92–77 26–1 |- !colspan=6| 1954 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament 2/25/1954 yes 4 Morehead State Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY OVC Tournament Semifinal 97–79 27–1 2/26/1954 yes 4 Eastern Kentucky Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY OVC Tournament Final 85–69 28–1 |- !colspan=6| 1954 National Invitation Tournament 3/8/1954 yes yes 3 (N2) Bowling Green State Madison Square Garden New York, NY NIT Quarterfinal 95–81 29–1 3/11/1954 yes yes 4 (N2) Holy Cross 6 (N3) Madison Square Garden New York, NY NIT Semifinal 69–75 29–2 3/13/1954 yes yes 4 (N2) Niagara 16 (N4) Madison Square Garden New York, NY NIT Consolation 65–71 29–3 AP Poll References Category:Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball seasons Western Kentucky State Western Kentucky State Western Kentucky State Basketball, Men's Western Kentucky State Basketball, Men's Category:Long stubs with short prose